You are right Steven.
It was subtle difference but you got it right.
I am scared of Palin, but I heard this particular quote as you did.
On the other hand, I think she actually said that the gas line in Alaska was God’s will.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4LjsfWbZLA

Hey, I just stumbled across you post. I think you are right on this particular quote. I think she defended her statement well enough in the interview. More telling is that despite being briefed on this quote for the last two weeks, she still didn’t know her own words— or presumably, she would have corrected Gibson.
Also, I don’t entirely blame Gibson. In general, the term “God’s will” was used quite a bit in her speech to refer to things that she was trying to accomplish.
Good spot. Kudos.

“I would never presume to know God’s will or to speak God’s words.” This sure doesn’t sound lie the religious right views that know exactly what god views are. Even the exact time that life begins or what god mission are.

Her actual statement was pretty confusing, though – the one she made when speaking before her church. She said: (this is a direct quote, word-for-word)
“Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right also for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God, that’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God’s plan”
Clearly she does believe that there is some kind of “plan from God” that pertains to military action in Iraq and Afganistan. What is that plan? Well, we’ve got to pray that our leaders figure that out, because they are sending these kids out there. What?
That’s just a lot of fuzzy thinking, and seems to me like a person who is talking about things that they haven’t really thought through yet. The speech she gave to the RNC was crafted by a professional, and she pulled that off. But whenever I see clips of her talking from her own heart and mind, including the interview with Gibson, I get the same sick feeling in my stomach – that tells me we’re just seeing a female version of…. GEORGE W. BUSH!

I agree with your point. But I find it hard to believe Palin was thinking about Lincoln then or ever — not until the McCain campaign served him up in a coaching session.

Tim: “But I find it hard to believe Palin was thinking about Lincoln then or ever — not until the McCain campaign served him up in a coaching session.”
Honestly, Tim, why do you find it “hard to believe” that these are not Palin’s own words? They have books in Alaska, you know, and I’m sure they cover Lincoln in the American history curriculum.
What evidence do you have for your conjecture. What a grossly sexist and demeaning thing to say about Palin!

they wouldn’t have books if Palin had her way-

“they wouldn’t have books if Palin had her way-”
Yes, you guys, please keep peddling your debunked conspiracy theories. So far it’s really working.

Isn’t the closing thought exactly the same mistake that was just previously corrected about the Iraq quote? She didn’t word it well, but I think it’s expressing the same view, that she thinks she’s got an understanding of the right thing to do (i.e. God’s will) but that she thinks people need to pray that it’s the right thing to do. This won’t happen unless it’s God’s will, so God needs to unite people to do it if it’s going to happen. So pray about that. Notice she didn’t say to pray for it but about it. I think, given the context of being right before her statement about Iraq and how she describes her son’s decision to try to do the right thing, that the same view is going on her. So I see no reason to take her to be asserting that the pipeline is God’s will. That seems to me to make exactly the same mistake as taking her to think the Iraq invasion was God’s will.

Emelie, while you are right, that is conjecture, I don’t see it as a sexist comment at all. She has had very little exposure to national and international politics and it was obvious from the interview that she had been coached by media handlers prior to the interview. Every politician at this level has a few media handlers, male or female. Not a big deal, it is just part of the game!!

Jeff writes, “She has had very little exposure to national and international politics and….” Talk about conjecture. Last time I checked, Alaska has web access, newspapers and the mail brings periodicals. They have libraries too. And visitors from the outside via cruise ships.

Well, I meant it as experience in national and international politics. Of course they have every technology in Alaska as the rest of the world.